Westwood LA

                            

                               May  LOCAL EVENTS

       Music, movies and interesting events are happening all over Westwood this  Spring! Get out and 

       enjoy  our wonderful neighborhood at some of these easy-to-attend cultural venues.

 

 When you have a real estate need, Call…

                           Stacey Craft       Your Westside Neighbor

                                       Keller Williams Realty           310-387-5407

                               

 

 

Sat May 3^rd  and Sun May 4^th : Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open House: This is such a fun event- our family has gone several times and it’s always amazing. Once a year, thousands of people from around the country get a chance to go behind the scenes at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA’s lead center for robotic space exploration. JPL’s annual open house is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme is “JPL 2001: A Space Odyssey.”  This free, fun-filled, family event has a little of everything, from virtual flying lessons to building your own spacecraft and having your picture taken in infrared light. For non-space buffs, it offers the chance to see inside a NASA center and discover more about some of the latest technological advancements. Everyone will have the chance to meet with scientists and engineers who will staff booths to answer questions about current and future missions. Structured around the themes of technology, Earth, Mars, solar system, and stars and galaxies, visitors will see and learn more about how missions come together. See for the last time at JPL the full-size Galileo spacecraft model and learn about active volcanoes on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons.   JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, off the 210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. Parking is free http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pso/oh.cfm

Sat May 3^rd :  Spring Festival of World Music

2pm – Music of India Ensemble, music on the sitar and tabla with vocals.

3:30 pm- UCLA Near East Ensemble, music from Cairo, Damascus and Beirut as well as Ottoman-era court music.  Hammer Museum, Wilshire at Westwood  www.hammer.ucla.edu

Sun May 4^th: The Hollow Trees kids concert at the Skirball Center

Sing along to the upbeat Americana of this fun music group. A great mix of folk, country and a twist of bluegrass. Advance tickets strongly recommended, 11:30 am  ($6 adults/ $4 kids) Tickets at: www.skirball.com

Tues May 6^th : Hammer Forum on Energy Independence

A forum with David Freeman and Robert Bryce. Freeman is the country’s leading authority on energy use (he is the former CA Energy Czar who saved us from the Enron-generated power crisis, he was the head of the LA DWP, the TVA, and New York Power). Robert Bryce is the Editor of the newsletter Energy Tribune. 7 pm www.hammer.ucla.edu

Wed May 7^th: Bob Dylan Documentary Don’t Look Back at the Skirball

A screening of D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal documentary of Dylan’s 1965 tour of England, his last as an acoustic performer.  7:30 pm  www.skirball.com

 Fri May 9^th and Sat May 10^th:  Hotbed- Video Cultivation beside the Getty Gardens

Projected onto the exterior walls of the Getty Center, 19 artists’ videos from 1984-2007 explore the theme of the body as nature or culture. Spectacularly displayed between the architecture and gardens, viewers stroll the grounds in this special two-evening installation. 7-9 pm each night. www.getty.edu

Sat May 10^th : Spring Festival of World Music

2 pm-  Music of the Balkans Ensemble focuses on Bulgarian traditional songs and music.

3:30 pm-  Music of Korea Ensemble presents a variety of styles of court and folk music and dance.

Sat May 10^th: UCLA’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Open House

The Archaeology Institute opens it’s doors to the community and K-12 students. Lectures, short films about archaeology sites, children’s activity corner, and exploration of the labs and archives. Housed in the A-level of the Fowler Museum building. Information : 310-206-8934 or www.fowler.ucla.edu

Sun May 11^th : Sunday Afternoon for Kids Writer’s Workshop

JC Jaress leads young writers in The Art of the Sale: Writing 60-second Radio Ad Copy. 12 noon- Reservations needed, contact the Hammer Museum: www.hammer.ucla.edu

May 13^th  to June 19^th: Mindful Awareness Practices- A UCLA Community Health Program

The Mindful Awareness Practices class series and workshops help reduce stress and promote well-being. Course is also offered July 8- August 21. 310-206-7503   or    www.marc.ucla.edu for more info.

Thurs May 15^th: Michael Ondaatje at the Hammer Museum

The author of many acclaimed  and award-winning books, including Anil’s Ghost. His most recent novel is Divisidero. 7 pm at the Hammer Museum www.hammer.ucla.edu

Thurs May 29^th: UCLA’s Brazilian Large Drum Ensemble Free concert at the Fowler Museum

UCLA’s award-winning Brazilian large drum ensemble is back with samba, samba reggae, maracatu and more. Don’t forget your dancing shoes! Free, outdoors, light refreshments. 6 pm www.fowler.ucla.edu

Thurs May 29^th: Hammer Museum Conversations- Bliss Broyard and Rebecca Walker

Broyard is the author of a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, My Father, Dancing.  She has gotten a lot of press recently for her interesting book on how her famous father “passed” for white and her subsequent reaction to her supressed African American heritage.  In conversation with Rebecca Walker, the author of the bestselling memoir Black,White and Jewish. And her latest memoir, Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood after a Lifetime of Ambivalence. 7 pm

Mom, I’m Bored… A fun way to keep your kids busy

Here’s an interesting website that a neighbor introduced me to recently. It’s perfect for young children (pre-school- 1^st grade, who are ready to learn to read): www.starfall.com

Do you know what to do during an Earthquake?

A neighbor sent this online test to me- take it yourself and test your earthquake knowledge- it could save your life. This is a very quick test (you may be surprised at your Earthquake IQ): www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/features/flash/quake/during.html

Local Library Events:

Westwood Library (1246 Glendon Ave. 310-474-1739- Free parking in library garage, ask for validation)

• Thurs May 8^th: Just for Teens- A jewelry making program that will result in a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day. Sign up with Annie 310-474-1739

West LA Regional Library (11360 Santa Monica Blvd. 310-575-8323

• Sat May 24^th: Teens- Knitting Club- Come and learn how to make a fashionable scarf to take home 2:30- 4 pm
• Sat May 24^th: Teens- Jewelry Pin Workshop- come and learn how to make beautiful wearable art 4-5:30 pm

Palms-Rancho Park Library (2920 Overland Ave. 310-840-2142)

• Sat May 3^rd: Vegetarian Cooking Class led by cookbook author. Call for advance reservations 3-5 pm
• Sat May 17^th: Overcoming Addiction through Holistic Recovery. A licensed therapist will discuss the holistic approach to overcoming substance abuse, which involves mind, body and spirit. 11 am- 1 pm

Pico-Olympic One Way Proposal Update

WSSM’s lawsuit against the City of LA continues, as does the lawsuit brought by the Greater WLA Chamber of Commerce. Both seek a halt to the implementation of the Pico – Olympic plan.  As has been previously reported, adequate studies to demonstrate the proposed plan’s effectiveness have not been done, parking arrangements for affected merchants have not been made, impacts on local residential streets have not been taken into account, and baseline data to evaluate impacts was not gathered prior to March 8.  In short, the City has not done its due diligence, has not complied with the California Environmental Quality Act and should never attempted to move forward as it did.  (The Mayor’s order to DOT to implement the plan on March 8 was rescinded after the lawsuits were filed and the next given date for implementation (March 29) is likely also not to be acted upon.  WSSM’s attorney is in regular contact with the District Attorney assigned to the case and we will be providing our members with updates as soon as they are available.  Keep up- to- date, visit the Neighborhood Homeowner’s website: www.westwoodsouth.org

Easy Urban Excursion:

UCLA’s Hannah Carter Japanese Garden

I’ve wanted to go up to the Japanese garden at UCLA for a long time and finally did it last week. What a gorgeous oasis! It’s perched on a steep hillside just above the campus, north of Sunset. The tranquil gardens are meticulously maintained and the azaleas are in full bloom right now. The paths are steep and the ponds are not fenced, so it’s not a good choice for very young children (I took my kids (6 and and they were fine). You have to make (free) 1 hour reservations though- they are only open 10 am-3 pm on Tues, Wed and Fri. Send an email to : gardens@support.ucla.edu to request a reservation. This is an easy, unique urban excursion, completely worth the effort! To see photos:www.japanesegarden.ucla.edu

 

Act4Education: Neighborhood Schools Update

(Source: Most Recent Act4Education email newsletter): We stress the importance of having the necessary leadership within our schools and a partnership with the community. In the last year, we have made significant progress.

1) Emerson Middle School Strategy: Act4Education has been hard at work with Principal Gonnella (the new principal) over the last few months to establish a strategy and set forth a timeline on achieving our common goals of outstanding education for all students, safe schools and bringing our community back to Emerson. She has outlined a number of different programs to achieve these goals, including the “above the line” program to improve student behavior in the classroom and on the playground, as well as outside educational programs that can be brought in to enhance academic achievement. It is too early to see results and even too early to be specific on which programs will be brought in. Needless to say that there is a lot of work ahead and change will not occur overnight. As we move forward from here, we will follow Gonnella’s lead in executing her strategy for change. We hope that our community will contribute to the efforts to improve Emerson. If you are interested in helping, contact Andrea Gehring (andrea@wwcot.com 310-804-5294).

2) New Principal at University High School: As you might have heard, Uni, Westwood’s local high school, will have a new principal. The current principal, Elois McGehee, is moving on to a LAUSD administrative position and we wish her well. Uni HS teachers, students, parents and Act4Education participated in selecting the new high school principal, Mr. Eric Davidson who is currently Vice Principal of Westchester High School. With change comes new opportunities, and Act4Education welcomes Eric Davidson to the position.

3) Our public schools want our community back: In summary, public school continues to be a compelling option for many given the high costs of private school, the desire to see our children, their friends and their neighbors attend school together as a community, and the growing pressures to get admission to public schools in surrounding neighborhoods like Beverly Hills and Pacific Palisades. If you have heard that bussing has been declining and is close to zero at our local public schools, you have heard correctly. Please remember that the catchment area for our local public schools is large and draws from diverse communities. The most important point here is that enrollment in our local public schools has been declining, which not only means that there is room for our children but also that our local public schools NEED our community to come back. As Act4Education moves forward, please stay tuned and help us energize our community to make the most of our neighborhood public schools.

If you don’t already receive the Act4Education email newsletter, sign up at : www.Act4Education.org

                                                     Neighborhood Real Estate Update

Most Recent Neighborhood Sales (activity of all agents)

Address	Sq Ft	bed/ bath	Original List Price	SALE  Price	Days on Market
2114 Glendon	2663	3 / 2	$1,599,000	$1,518,000	92
2340 Prosser	1614	3 / 2	$1,325,000	$1,275,000	77
2125 Overland	1675	3 / 2	$899,000	$872,000	44
2110 Selby	1020	2 / 1	$795,000	$810,000	26
10521 Almayo	1742	3 / 1.75	$1,175,000	$1,170,000	12
2258 Prosser	2337	3 / 3.5	$1,425,000	$1,460,000	14
2342 Parnell	1934	3 / 2.5	$1,225,000	$1,250,000	19
2131 Selby	2968	4 / 2.5	$1,850,000	$1,840,000	0

                                 

Thinking of Selling?

Want to “test the waters”? I utilize a database of over 1200 local agents, many of whom are looking for unlisted/ non MLS “pocket listings” for their best clients. Let me promote your home to these agents first if you are thinking of selling.

The busy Summer selling season is almost here. Call me and let’s talk about steps you can take to prepare your home for a profitable sale in the coming months.

**** Stacey’s Listings ****

For Sale: 1840 Veteran Ave. #105

I am assisting my friend Sue with her new listing in our neighborhood: a beautiful, sun-filled condo in a well-maintained building. 1818 square feet, generously proportioned rooms, FANTASTIC built-in storage throughout the unit, HUGE living room, and eat-in kitchen make this unit feel like a spacious home. Please feel free to call either of us if you would like a private showing or Visit us at our open houses- Sundays 2-5.

Sue: 310-95-7933   and    Stacey: 310-387-5407

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